Memphis basketball is often associated with mass drama on and off the court, but there was none to be had Friday night.
The Tigers soundly crushed Ohio 94-70 inside FedExForum, just like they were supposed to.
“When you’re playing a team that you’re supposed to beat, you gotta beat ’em. You can’t lose games at home with a team that you’re supposed to beat,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said postgame. “It’s definitely satisfying and gratifying that you can come into a game and lead from start to finish, and win a game outright instead of always struggling to win the game. And that’s what good teams have to do.”
But it didn’t come without a little discomfort.
Memphis got off to a rousing 18-4 start in the first eight minutes of the contest. Star guard PJ Haggerty scored 17 first-half points on 4-for-5 perimeter shooting, and the Tigers shot 66.7% from 3-point range as a team in the opening period.
Ohio didn’t back down, however. The Bobcats instead hit seven 3-pointers in a row and cut Memphis’ lead to as little as 4 points with 5:17 left until halftime. Whether it was Ajay Sheldon, Elmore James or AJ Brown, it felt as if Jeff Boals’ team couldn’t miss for most of the first 20 minutes.
The Tigers, who committed 11 first-half turnovers, needed another spark besides Haggerty to pull away from Ohio for good.
Tyrese Hunter—after scoring just 5 points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first half—answered the call.
The 6-foot guard dropped 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting after the halftime. Hunter, a career 32.1% 3-point shooter, also nailed each of his four tries from beyond the arc in the second half. The Texas transfer even put the cherry on top with 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.
Memphis ultimately turned Hunter’s performance into a 51-32 second half that saw it shoot 56.6% from the field and 83% from 3-point range. It only turned the ball over 3 times in the period too.
The Tigers also shot 72% from deep for the game, which is their best mark in Hardaway’s tenure.
“It’s hard to explain, because we work so hard on shooting. Most of our practice is working on shooting. After the practice, the guys work on their own shooting. At night, they come back [and] work on their shooting,” Hardaway said. “This is definitely a product of the hard work that we put in as a group and as individuals.”
Haggerty and Hunter finished with 23 and 21 points respectively after both missed multiple practices this week with knee injuries. It was another day at the office for Haggerty, the reigning American Athletic Conference (AAC) Player of the Week.
But for Hunter, who scored 23 combined points in Memphis’ first two games, it might’ve been the game he’s been waiting for. Hardaway hopes so, anyway.
“He’s been in the Big 12 his entire career, and this is what he’s done his entire career. Him trying to figure out how to play with Colby [Rogers] and PJ probably has had him a little hesitant. But to see what I saw tonight is what I’m used to seeing from Tyrese Hunter, so I’m praying that this is his coming-out party,” Hardaway said. “You can tell it was one of those moments where he was like, ‘Finally,’ because he’s been really working to get one of these games in…I was so happy for him.”
Hunter is a little less boastful about his box score. But he doesn’t mind it either, as long as it helps the Tigers win.
“I think that was big. It kinda opened up the floor for my teammates,” he said. “We’re three games in. It’s just the start. I feel like everybody knows what I’m capable of with this team…I’m just trying to win. I know how big it is—winning here.”
Memphis (3-0) next plays San Francisco at the Chase Center Thursday before embarking on the Maui Invitational later this month, where it’ll face back-to-back national champion UConn in its first of three games.
The Tigers’ next home game isn’t until Dec. 4 against Louisiana Tech.